Case Number 15501: Small Claims Court

THE DEAL

The Charge

Cut to the scam.

The Case

When I was in college I spent a summer working as an intern for a small movie
production company in West Hollywood. I occasionally rapped with one of the
executives about film, and one of the few things I remember is his disgust for
movies about the movie business. It's probably due to these conversations that
I've become particular about films about Hollywood. Of course, these movies are
almost universally critical of the film business, but few have anything more
insightful to say than "The studios don't respect art and everyone is a
phony." There are a relative few that are insightful and entertaining
(The Player, Swimming With Sharks), but the multitude aren't funny
and have nothing interesting to say (The Pickle, An Alan Smithee Film:
Burn Hollywood Burn). Unfortunately, The Deal has much more in common
with the latter than the former.

The Deal, written by prolific actor (and surprisingly prolific
writer) William H. Macy (Magnolia) and Steven Schachter (who also
directed the film), is a lighthearted comedy, but also a vicious piss-take of
the way Hollywood does business. Charlie Berns (Macy) is a failed, suicidal
movie producer who strikes upon a brilliant idea after being handed a verbose
period-piece script written by his nephew, Lionel (Jason Ritter, W.). The
idea is to pretend that mega-star Bobby Mason (LL Cool J, Deep Blue Sea)
is attached to the project, get it greenlit for $100 million (and change), and
then...profit, I guess. With Mason's rabbi (Elliott Gould, Friends) in on
the deal (Mason is a recent Jewish convert), Cherlie's plan seems like a sure
thing, except there's a spunky studio exec, Deidre Hearn (Meg Ryan, You've
Got Mail), who suspects something is rotten in Hollywood. As she tries to
queer the deal, Charlie not only manages to stymie her, but do some serious
wooing in the process (and with a mug like Macy's, that's quite a feat).

Now, there's much to mock and critique about the film business. Most movies
are bad; talent and creativity aren't always rewarded (and are sometimes
punished). That said, too many attacks on Hollywood -- such as The Deal
-- don't go beyond this superficial criticism. (In fact, those bad movies are
often the most profitable: Paul Blart: Mall Cop, My Bloody
Valentine, and Bride Wars will all be making dump trucks full of cash
for their backers.) So much of The Deal's humor is mined from the idea
that the movie business is being run by complete idiots, which is both shallow
and -- even worse -- a tired idea. Does anyone not already buy into that
stereotype? The Deal is like a children's movie where the kids know
what's up, but all the adults are clueless. Charlie is the lead kid -- kind of
like an older, suicidal Zach Morris -- who runs circles around his movie
studio's various Mr. Beldings.

The success of Charlie's scheme makes the movie a burlesque, but one that
lacks humor or much sense. Watching a cranky producer pull one over on a film
studio is mildl amusing, though hardly gut-busting. While Macy is a fine actor,
broad comedy is not one of his strong suits. He isn't helped by a largely
laugh-free supporting cast, including LL Cool J, Gould, and Ryan, who seems to
have spent much of her movie-making hiatus under the knife. I know I'm not the
first to point out that it looks like she's had work done, but it distracts from
the story, especially because the character seems to have been written for
someone younger.

Then there are the several niggling plot points that probably shouldn't
matter in a light comedy, but can't be overlooked when the rest of the film
doesn't provide much entertainment. For one, if Charlie is such an unsuccessful
producer, why is he so adept at getting a $100 million dollar non-film greenlit?
Most people can't even get real films greenlit. If he's suicidal at the start of
the film, how does he suddenly become cool and unflappable about 20 minutes in?
There's also Charlie's romance with Deidre. What does she see in him? How can he
be so enticing that she's willing to dump her fiancé for this sad sack?

All this said, The Deal is not a disaster. Still, as a comedy it's
devoid of many laughs, as a satire it's too simplistic and clumsy, and as a
movie it's just forgettable.

The Deal is a straight-to-DVD release, so it's not surprising that
the disc doesn't come with many extras. There are a few interviews with the
film's featured actors and a short making-of. The DVD does come with a digital
copy of the movie, which is a nice little bonus for those who would like to put
it on your iPod or laptop.